21 Week Ultrasound

SHE'S A GIRL!!! Al and I have been elated since we found out last week. What did we do when we found out? We went shopping for her of course.

Currently, we have a couple, mostly one but not completely decided, of names in mind for baby girl. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be. The only problem is our favorite girl names are on top of the 100 most popular names list. Add to that a common middle name, and there are bound to be dozens of girls with the same exact name. Oh well, she'll have a beautiful name even if it isn't unique.

As far as weight gain goes, I was up roughly 9 pounds at 21 weeks counting from the time a found out I was pregnant. I don't really have intense cravings, but Al does. He gets cravings- chinese food, pumpkin pie, Freddy's, any pasta in marinara sauce, sweet potatoes, oatmeal raisin cookies. For me, homemade quiche and fruit make a delicious breakfast. My favorite snack is string cheese. On the weekends, I like to have mint milanos and Freddy's Frozen Custard as a treat:)

I am enjoying every bit of energy I have while it lasts, not sure if nesting is really supposed to hit already, but I think it has.

20 Weeks

Halfway there! Some days it feels like the baby is never going to arrive and others like the past weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. I am anxiously awaiting Friday's ultrasound.

The last couple of weeks I have been feeling pretty good. The energy has come back, sleep is good, my appetite is pretty normal although no crazy cravings or ravenous episodes yet. The best part is feeling baby movement frequently. The moving began two weeks ago. Al keeps asking me what it's like. Try describing to a man the unique sensation of little baby doing its thing:) Pretty funny stuff. The best I can explain it is that it feels like popcorn popping in the bottom of my belly. At times, it feels like there is a butterfly fluttering around, but popcorn is more like it most of the time.

Thinking about the future, as if the responsibilty of being parents wasn't enough, I have decided to try and go green meaning that I want to make the attempt to cloth diaper. Yep! That's right. Call me crazy. First of all, we would be saving several hundred dollars a year. Truth be told, my conscience cannot bear the thought of tossing thousands of diapers into a landfill where they will take 500 years to decompose and release toxic chemicals all the while. Regarding the poo factor, there are liners. If mothers of generations past did it(and washed those wretched poo catchers by hand), then why can't I with the modern conveniences of a washer and a dryer?

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Unfortunately, this is a controversial subject. I still have some time to keep on researching. For now, with all the information in favor of them and all the research against them, it seems to me that the best thing to do is to 1. delay them just enough time so that they can build up some immunity on their own which is what is done in other countries in Europe and Japan 2. get the shots only one at a time 3. avoid the ones with thimersol and heavy metals(about 3 of the shots given routinely contain them, but vaccine makers are beginning to take out those potent metals and preservatives). On the delayed schedule, children still receive their shots in time to start school. I'm glad I still have several more months to gather information and decide.

Doctor Appointment

I had my third appoinment on Tuesday. Everything looks great. The hearbeat is at 140bpm. I'm starting to feel more movement. The doctor also gave me "morning" sickness medication just in case, because morning sickness 1. can happen any time of the day or in some cases all day and 2. can happen throughout pregnancy*sigh* Hopefully, it will not happen anymore as I have been feeling nauseous in the afternoons. Some foods that I usually like make my stomach churn even now, especially chicken.
So far, I have not had those cravings pregnant women talk about as I am happy if I don't get sick or even worse, nauseous.

Boy or girl? I can't wait to find out. Not knowing is driving me crazy, just don't know how all those patient team unknown mothers do it. The big ultrasound is on November 6:) After that, I can start painting and getting the nursery ready.

16 Weeks

I was sooo excited to make it through the first trimester. Unlike my mother, I got the wonderful experience of having morning sickness about two times a week and nausea all day every day. Sadly, I felt better the days I was very sick, because then it would just be over with, and I could carry on with the rest of the day.

Now, I got this ugly cold last week that doesn't seem to want to leave.

Dear cold,

Please vacate the premises IMMEDIATELY! Your cooperation is appreciated.

On a positive note, we are beyond excited, a little nervous too, about being parents. I can't believe the overwhelming love I already feel for this Little One.

From the Golden State to the Emerald City

What a long drive-1,500 miles! We're here and almost settled.

Driving into Kansas from the westside, from Denver to be exact, had me a little worried as all I saw were miles and miles of nothing but flat prairieland, blah. So, I was pleasantly surprised to arrive here and see a lot of trees and so much green. There is hardly any traffic here which is nice, and we have a few nice things to do here.

I definitely miss home, my recycle bin(it's hard to recycle here), Trader Joe's, good food/restaurants, the beaches to name a few things. There's def no place like home!